Hope for the Fatherless

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823819644
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018
Location
Castle Pines, CO, USA
Phone
7209700005
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Relief

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$665,169
Expenses
$422,378
Assets
$580,997
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Allison Parker Dragovich (Chair/Secretary)
  • Belay Tekah Gebru (Director)
  • Pastor Jeff Dillon (Vice Chair)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

HFTF serves orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia, and its mission is to see every child thriving in a loving family. HFTF accomplishes this through five primary initiatives: in-country adoption training and placement, family preservation programs, life skills training for orphaned and vulnerable children, residential care and transition homes, and Tesfa Mender (HFTF's rehabilitation center for street children).

What it reported doing in 2025

Hope for the Fatherless (HFTF) provides rescue, rehabilitation, and restoration for Ethiopian children trapped in institutions or homelessness on the streets. HFTF's vision is to see every child thriving in a loving family. HFTF accomplishes this in five primary ways: (1) IN-COUNTRY ADOPTION (In partnership with the Ethiopian government, HFTF screens and trains adoptive families, matches and places orphaned children, and provides post-placement support. Through 2025, HFTF has placed 191 children with their forever families and trained 280 adoptive families currently waiting to be matched.); (2) FAMILY PRESERVATION (HFTF supports a number of single moms and vulnerable children to enable them to stay together and prevent the children from being orphaned, covering expenses for education, necessities, medical care, counseling, and more. In 2025 HFTF sponsored 16 families.); (3) LIFE SKILLS TRAINING (HFTF provides orphaned and vulnerable children with mentoring, tutoring, summer and extracurricular programs, counseling, and life skills training. For children aging out of HFTF and into adulthood, HFTF provides opportunities to attend university or trade school, or to train and apprentice in self-sustaining ventures at HFTF such as the leather workshop and barista program.); (4) RESIDENTIAL CARE (At Hope House, Faith House, and Joy House, HFTF provides children a small, family-like group home with committed caregivers, excellent academic opportunities, and holistic care. In this safe, loving, and peaceful environment, children are able to flourish and heal.); and (5) TESFA MENDER (Tesfa Mender (translated "Hope Village") is a residential program to rescue homeless children from the streets. Located outside the city of Addis Ababa, Tesfa Mender provides a safe and nurturing place where street kids can rehabilitate, heal, and learn vital life skills and receive job training so that they can become healthy and whole members of their communities.).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 92% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 93%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $350.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 36.5%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.38; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.3% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 30.7% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59% of revenue deployed · 93% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $393K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.